Clint Smith

@clintsmithiii.bsky.social

39158 Followers 304 Following

Author of How the Word Is Passed, Above Ground, and Counting Descent. Writer, The Atlantic.

Clint Smith and John Green will be discussing Clint’s young readers adaptation of How the Word Is Passed tonight at 7pm eastern
Clint stands behind a stack of signed books
In his march 27 executive order, President Trump directed Vice President J. D. Vance to “remove improper ideology” from NMAAHC and other Smithsonian museums. As I walked around the museum, I wondered which of these exhibits would fall under that rubric. What does it mean for something to be improper if the administration’s understanding of what is acceptable excludes anything that might make white Americans feel bad? Is the statue of Thomas Jefferson surrounded by bricks inscribed with the names of people he enslaved improper? Is a slave cabin that once sat on the grounds of a plantation in South Carolina improper? Are the shackles that were once locked around the feet of enslaved children improper? Is Harriet Tubman’s silk shawl improper? Is Nat Turner’s Bible improper? Is Emmett Till’s casket improper? Are the photographs of men and women who were lynched as white audiences looked on improper?
Cover of How the Word Is Passed (Adapted for Young Readers)
Will be reading at the Eaton Hotel in DC tomorrow at 6pm. Looking forward to it. Come through!
Image promoting conversation between Patrick Radden Keefe and Clint Smith about the adaptation of Patrick’s book SAY NOTHING. Jan 13th 12pm online.
Ran into my 10th grade English teacher Dr. Hightower during Thanksgiving back home. We caught up briefly and I reminded her how she kept giving me C’s on the essays I wrote for her class and how her comments kept saying I could do better. She basically was like “And I was right!” and we both laughed. Truth is she *was* right, she knew she needed to push me even when I didn’t want to be pushed. She told me she loved my books and was cheering me on. Cool full circle moment.